Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress
June 1, 2024
Gandhar V Mandlik, George Siopis, Binh Nguyen et al.
18 citations
A single session of yoga or its components—meditation, breathing techniques, or yoga postures—can reduce acute stress reactivity in healthy adults. A systematic review of 28 randomized controlled or crossover trials involving 2,574 participants found that 21 studies reported benefits favoring the intervention. Specifically, 71% of studies measuring physiological outcomes and 65% of those measuring psychological outcomes showed reduced stress reactivity. The evidence suggests that brief yoga-based practices are effective for stress management, though more research with larger, more diverse populations is needed.
Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress
June 1, 2025
Esther N Moszeik, Nicolas Rohleder, Karl-Heinz Renner
10 citations
A randomized controlled trial tested two durations of Yoga Nidra meditation (11 minutes and 30 minutes) against an active control (10 minutes of music) and a waitlist control, with 362 participants practicing daily online for two months. The 11-minute Yoga Nidra group showed small but significant improvements in psychological well-being compared to the waitlist, including reduced depression compared to the active control. Regular practice was linked to lower total cortisol and steeper daily cortisol declines. The 30-minute form increased acting with awareness more than the short form and produced a flatter cortisol wake-up reaction. The findings suggest even brief, low-cost interventions can yield health-promoting effects.
Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress
April 1, 2025
Mansee Thakur, Sanjana T Philip, Kunal R Desai et al.
4 citations
A 12-week randomized controlled trial tested Heartfulness meditation against sham meditation in 100 young adults aged 18–24 with moderate to high perceived stress. The meditation group showed significant increases in serum nitrate/nitrite levels, professional efficacy, and well-being, alongside significant decreases in exhaustion, cynicism, and serum cortisol compared to the control group. A negative correlation appeared between serum malondialdehyde (MDA) and well-being, while MDA and cortisol were positively correlated. The findings suggest Heartfulness meditation reduces stress and burnout and improves well-being, though larger studies are needed to confirm.
Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress
December 1, 2025
Maris Vainre, Tim Dalgleish, Tia Bendriss-Otiko et al.
2 citations
Mindfulness-based programmes (MBPs) modestly improve task performance—the quantity and quality of completed assigned work—immediately after the intervention compared with doing nothing, but not compared with other active activities. The meta-analysis of 99 studies with 16,054 participants also found benefits for adaptive and contextual performance, and effects may persist for months. However, confidence in these results is very low due to limitations in the evidence. Employers and universities subsidize MBPs to boost work performance despite previously unclear evidence.
Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress
August 1, 2025
Jianhao Zhou, Xin Zhao, Cheng Fan et al.
2 citations
A single session of mindfulness meditation quickly lowers blood pressure and shifts heart rate variability toward a more relaxed state in college students under stress. An eight-week standardized mindfulness program further reduces stress-induced blood pressure, improves emotional well-being, and increases mindfulness, with benefits still present twelve weeks later. A sham meditation group also showed emotional and mindfulness improvements, but only the real meditation group had lower blood pressure during stress after training. The findings suggest that brief meditation can calm the body's immediate stress response, while regular practice builds lasting resilience, allowing students to choose different techniques for different stress scenarios.
Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress
October 1, 2024
Bárbara Monteiro, Ana Galhardo, Hugo Senra et al.
1 citation
During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, adults who did not meditate showed a greater increase in anxiety symptoms and perceived stress over time, while those who meditated maintained stable levels. The study followed 238 Portuguese adults (165 meditators, 73 non-meditators) across four time points from April 2020 to January 2021. Longer meditation sessions offered greater protection against rising anxiety. The effect of meditation on anxiety was influenced by sex, days of lockdown, self-compassion, and acceptance; its effect on perceived stress was influenced by sex, years of education, days of lockdown, and awareness.
Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress
August 1, 2025
Koichiro Adachi, Ryu Takizawa
A 12-week online-guided mindfulness-based intervention for healthy university students reduced emotional fluctuations and increased relaxation after a single session, though no changes in physiological measures were observed. After 12 weeks, the intervention group showed decreased state anxiety and marginally reduced sympathetic nervous system activation and perceived stress compared to a waitlist control group. The results suggest that the effects of mindfulness meditation on autonomic nerve function may accumulate over time, supporting the preventive potential of online mindfulness programs and the usefulness of pupillometry for monitoring intervention effects.
Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress
February 1, 2025
Carole Daniel, Clémence Leyrat, Elodie Gentina et al.
A short, app-based mindfulness meditation program improved sleep quality and quantity immediately after a 10-day intervention, but benefits faded by three months. In a randomized trial with 606 full-time working adults, the program also reduced depression but did not affect anxiety. The findings suggest that brief, low-cost mindfulness tools can offer short-term sleep benefits, though their durability is limited.